A Change of Heart
by TinkerLJ
Summary: Another Sunbow style story. This takes place after episode 2 of the Pyramid of Darkness. I've always been intrigued by the interaction between Admiral Ledger and Lady Jaye. This story explores their relationship more. Other characters, too. A bit of F/LJ fluff as well. Disclaimer: I don't own GI Joe, Hasbro, Sunbow, Marvel or GI Joe characters...
1. Chapter 1

"General Hawk?"

'"Yes, Mainframe. What is it?"

"You have a private call from Admiral Ledger."

"Admiral Ledger?" Hawk looked up from his stack of paperwork, "Now what could that old sea barnacle be wanting…?" he muttered. Hawk had known Admiral Ledger for years. Even though they served different branches in the military, they had worked together many times throughout their successful careers. Ledger was Old Navy…and proud of it. He commanded the men serving under him with authority and pushed them to excellence. Hawk, too, was proud of his men…and women, he smiled, and loved challenging them in both mind and body. He and the Admiral had often engaged in friendly conversations over who had the better team. "I wonder what he's gloating about, now," Hawk smiled indulgently. "Patch him into my office, Mainframe." The paperwork would wait.

"Yes sir."

"General Hawk."

"Admiral Ledger…"

"I would like to extend an invitation to the Joes for this year's Air/Sea Training on the Flagg." He announced, getting right to the point as usual.

"You want the Joes, Admiral?" Hawk was surprised. The special training had always been exclusive.

"Just a couple. Send me a small list of your best pilots, citing years of experience, training and mission highlights. I will personally choose two from your recommendations. They will participate in our tactical training and aerial demonstrations. It is my belief we will both benefit from this joint venture."

"Of course Admiral, and I am sure you will be pleased with whatever men you choose." Hawk smiled confidently, already mentally running through his best pilots. He knew all his Joes well and trusted in their abilities implicitly. Here was a great chance to one up the Admiral, he smirked. "I'll have one of my men get on it right away. We will have a list ready for you in a couple of days."

"That will be just fine. Thank you General. I look forward to reading your report."

"Flint," he spoke excitedly over the intercom. "Report to my office. I have a job for you." a grin spread across his face.


	2. Chapter 2

"Ace, Lady Jaye, you have been called here because you have shown exemplary skill in piloting our Skystrikers." Hawk began.

A smile spread slowly across Ace's lips.

"What?" Jaye asked, eyebrows raised in disbelief. She glanced surreptitiously at Ace who was grinning ear to ear. Ace certainly wasn't dealing with any self doubt. She sighed and returned her attention back to the General.

"Admiral Ledger has invited us to send two top Joe pilots to join his ace flight crew with in a special air/sea training. It is our belief that we can mutually benefit by joining our forces. Flint and I have compiled and submitted a review of Joe Skystriker pilots and you two were chosen from our list of recommendations. Congratulations." he smiled. "You will be joining the crew of the Flagg in the Mediterranean tomorrow.

"The Flagg? Tomorrow?" Jaye gasped.

"Tomorrow." Hawk smiled. "You will be there for a week. I suggest you go and pack. Your transport will be here at 0600. "

"Is there anything we need to know before packing?" Ace asked, "Anything we need?" His eyes lit up with eagerness.

"Just your personals. They will have flight suits and other necessary equipment."

"Ok. Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

"If there are no other questions…", he began.

"None, Sir."

"Then you are both dismissed." Hawk turned and left for his office. Visions of a brown haired female with a fiery temper had him chuckling. "Admiral Ledger, you are in for one heck of a surprise," he grinned knowingly.

Ace left the room swaggering just a bit, his face plastered with a satisfied smile. He loved to show off when it came to flying. He knew he was one of the best, if not the best. If he came across as a braggart, well so be it. Why deny that he was good when everyone else knew it was true? He couldn't wait to impress the Admiral and just maybe the Admiral's so called ace pilots. He chuckled softly. He visualised himself strapped in his seat and taking to the skies. Already, his mind began playing through various manoeuvres he knew would impress.

Flint gathered up the files setting the room back in order. His eyes wandered to Jaye. He studied her face carefully. Lady Jaye remained in the room long after Ace and the General had left. She stood in quiet contemplation, her arms were folded in front of her, head bowed in thought.

Flint hesitated, then crossed the room. He wrapped an arm around her gently. "What's going on in that beautiful head of yours?" he asked softly, planting a kiss on the top of her head.

She sighed, chewing on her bottom lip. "I don't know…I guess I'm just not sure why I was chosen. Ace is an obvious choice. I'm not. Sure, I am a decent enough pilot, but nowhere near like Ace…And there are so many other really good pilots on the team." She straightened and started to count them off on her fingers. "There's Duke and Scarlett, Wild Bill and even Gung Ho. He's pretty good. And you…" She turned to look at him, "You're a great pilot, too. Besides," her voice lowered, "it's Admiral Ledger. He and I have never exactly seen eye to eye just because I'm a woman." her eyes flashed in defiance. "Despite whatever he believes, women are not bad luck at sea…It's just an old navy superstition." she muttered angrily.

So that's what this was all about. He chuckled to himself remembering the baiting she had taken during her first meeting with the Admiral. "Jaye," he spoke soothingly, "Hawk and I looked at all the records and sent the recommendations. You and Ace were chosen. The Admiral must have liked what he saw."

"I still can't believe it."

"Why not? You're a great pilot. Almost as good as me." he grinned.

"Almost," she smirked, "Thanks a lot."

"No, look…, seriously Jaye," he turned her gently so that they were facing each other, "You are good. You deserve this. Your record proves it and I know you are going to be great out there. I just hope you know how proud I am of you…and don't worry about Admiral Ledger." he smiled softly, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face.

"I will try not to…and thanks for the pep talk," she smiled.

"Anytime," he grinned. "See you for dinner at 7:00?"

"Definitely," she laughed.

Lady Jaye had learned to accept that sometimes our greatest enemies are not what we fight outside of ourselves but our own insecurities inside. GI Joe was undoubtedly a male dominated group. Only three women were a part of this elite force; Cover Girl, the drop dead gorgeous ex-model turned tank driver and mechanic, Scarlett, the red head with the soft southern twang, intelligent and deadly and Lady Jaye, highly educated and engaging socialite/actress turned Covert Ops.

Living side by side their male counterparts, the women worked hard to prove they could keep up with the guys. It wasn't just that they had to be good. In order to be considered equals, they had to be the best at what they did. And they were.

Cover Girl was the best tank driver out there. Even General Hawk agreed that she could drive circles around Cobra tanks. And as for her technical prowess, she could literally take apart and put back together anything. Confident in who she was, she was more at home up to her elbows in engine grease than on the runway.

Scarlett worked intelligence. She also helped Snake Eyes train the Joes in hand to hand combat. Other than Snake Eyes, there wasn't a single teammate who could take down the slender Joe in a hand to hand fight. She exuded confidence in everything she did. She wore intimidation like a second skin. If any of the women had doubts about their role on the Joe team, it wasn't Scarlett.

Lady Jaye, drawing on her upbringing and her training as an actress could literally blend in and become anyone in any situation. She was the foremost covert operative for the Joes. Time after time she had proven herself in the field. And yet, despite her strengths and successes, Jaye still fought those nagging doubts that seemed to creep up in the most unexpected moments. She could hear her mother in exasperation, "Allison, will you never learn? Why won't you do things my way? I don't believe you will ever be a proper Lady."

Lady Jaye had joined the army to break free of her mother's demands. She wanted to live her own life, make her own choices. In the army she had worked hard and after a rocky start, had risen quickly through the ranks on her own merits. Of those who worked with her, no one doubted her abilities. No one, that is, except herself. Despite hiding it well, those smouldering doubts still lingered. From time to time, as they threatened to rise, she beat them back into submission. Sometimes, it was only a matter of working faster. Sometimes, she simply trained harder, for more hours. She had never yet let anything or anyone get the better of her. But, then she met the Admiral. With a few simple words, he had effectively shaken into crumbling ruin the precarious foundation she had built. As much as Lady Jaye fought it, those doubts that she had kept so carefully under control were rekindled into a fast and furious flame in the presence of Admiral Ledger.


	3. Chapter 3

"Welcome to the Flagg, Ace and Lady Jaye." the Admiral greeted them as they stepped out. " I am sure as GI Joe's best pilots you will be able to show us a thing or two. I hope you, young lady," he addressed Lady Jaye, "will be able to keep up."

Jaye's eyes flashed, " I am sure you will find my performance satisfactory."

"I certainly hope so." he studied her face. "Let me give you a brief tour and show you where you will be bunking."

Ace shot Jaye an encouraging smile as they followed the Admiral through the ship. She muttered in Gaelic under her breath, switching to German mid-stride. The Admiral glanced sideways at her but said nothing. He walked them to the mess, the showers and then finally showed them to their quarters. Ace grinned when he found out that he would be bunking with the other fly boys on board the Flagg. Jaye wondered if his grin was in part thinking of the poker games he would join. Catching her eye, he winked and grinned mischievously. "Wonderful," she sighed, "I just hope Hawk won't hear about it."

The Admiral hesitated as he showed Jaye to her room. It was a small officer's quarters. Since there were no other women on board, she would have it to herself.

"I realise you are not an officer but we don't have other accommodations for a woman."

"Thank you for going to the trouble, Sir."

"I hope you don't mind being alone."

"No, This will be fine. Again Sir, Thank you."

"Umm, we don't usually host women." He apologised.

"It won't be a problem, Sir." she assured him.

"Here's your key." He handed it to her and left.

Jaye pushed the door open slowly, revealing a small private living space, bare except for an army style metal desk and worn sofa. Dropping her bags on the desk, she opened a second door leading to an even smaller room with a single bed. The open closet revealed a small stack of sheets, blankets and a pillow. A third door opened into a tiny private bathroom and shower.

She unpacked her uniforms, hanging them neatly in the closet. Then she made up her bed, grimacing as she ran her hand over the rough sheets. The clock ticking loudly on the bedside table indicated that she still had two hours till dinner. She flopped on the bed staring absently at the ceiling. "This is going to be a very long week," she sighed.

Her mind began tumbling over thoughts of Flint. She already missed him terribly, his smile, his voice, his strong, warm hand wrapped protectively around hers. She had forgotten how miserable it felt to be alone.

In fact, she realised, she had not felt this alone since she started basic training years ago. That had been one of the most difficult times of her life. She had been the worst of the new recruits, her efforts in PT pure failure, her hand to hand non existent, she couldn't even hit anywhere near the target the first time she shot a weapon. Or the second, or the third… The officers screamed at her, the other recruits shunned her. She squeezed her eyes tightly as tears threatened to fall, battling for control that was not to be hers. A broken sob escaped as the memories pushed over, victorious, the old hurts fresh in their pain. She let them play out, mired in her own misery.

Her depressed thoughts eventually turned to Admiral Ledger. "I hope you can keep up," he had said. His words had stung. Why did she care so much what he thought? She could do it, she knew. She _could_ "keep up." Why, isn't that what she had been doing since joining the army? Isn't that what she had been doing since becoming a Joe? Oh, yes, she could keep up. She could more than keep up. He just didn't have experience working with women, she reasoned. Military and women to him were two different things, from two different worlds whose paths should never cross. And yet, here she was. The manifestation of the very thing he could not know. "Then.. why… did he… choose… me?" her conscious whispered.

Why indeed? Could it be that he was ready to bring those two different worlds together? Could it be that he had chosen her to be the bridge? Could it…?

She sat up.

Ace was here with her. She had a friend…, he was her friend. She wasn't alone. This was not like basic. "No," she admitted, "this was not like basic at all." She would be who she would be.

The Flagg's flight crew enjoyed having the Joes on board. Both were outgoing and friendly. They respected Ace's expertise while good-naturedly putting up with his cockiness. Dealing with Lady Jaye, however, was more challenging. While being a great pilot, she was also most definitely feminine. Many, having never worked with women pilots before, were unsure how to interact. She gave them credit for trying, though, and appreciated their efforts. There was some of the usual posturing and ribbing among the crew whenever someone other than Ace was partnered up with her. She just took it in stride. There were also the occasional moments of awkwardness like when they had to suit up in flight suits. But for the most part, they treated her as an equal.

For Jaye, whose military profession was Covert Ops, it was an exhilarating experience. She loved flying. Jaye and Ace joined the pilots each day in their lessons and flight training as they skimmed the choppy waves of the Mediterranean or ploughed through cloud banks in their Skystrikers.

The Admiral's fly boys were a fun group to hang around, highly skilled and professional with a passion for flying. "Even if they were a bit arrogant," Jaye smiled fondly. She had enjoyed watching the various flight demonstrations. The pilots' skills during manoeuvres had been amazing. She hoped she would be as good. Ace and Jaye's own demonstration would be last, and Ace, she knew, was looking forward showing off once again.

Admiral Ledger observed the training sessions from a distance with keen eye. He especially noted the aerial demonstrations during which teams of two took to the sky pushing their skills and expertise to the limit. He was secretly intrigued by the Joes, the last team scheduled to fly, wondering if their performance would be able to outshine his own ace pilots. He doubted it. He thought of Hawk, wondering if he would be disappointed if his Joes weren't up to snuff. He smiled smugly. There was always an easy going competition between the Admiral and the General. It's what made them such great leaders because they often pushed their soldiers to exceed beyond their given abilities.


	4. Chapter 4

"Alright… Jaye, are you ready?" Ace asked as they suited up in their flight gear.

"I hope so," she smiled nervously, pulling the helmet over her head.

"Don't worry. You've got me for a partner… What could go wrong?" he winked as she groaned in response. "We're gonna knock 'em on their afterburners. Let's show that Admiral a thing or two about what real pilots can do," he grinned happily. "Let's go."

They headed for the jets.

Strapped tightly into the seats of their GI Joe Skystrikers, that familiar nagging sense of doubt crept into the edges of her mind. Lady Jaye mentally replayed the manoeuvres she and Ace had decided for the demonstration. She knew Ace's performance would be awe inspiring. For her part, she sighed mentally, she would do the best she could. Taking a deep breath and focusing her mind, Ace and Lady Jaye took off, one immediately following the other. Once in the air, they manoeuvred smoothly into aerobatic formation.

"Ready…, Go." She heard Ace's voice loud in her ear.

She and Ace moved easily as they demonstrated high speed passes, slow passes, fast rolls, slow rolls and very tight turns. During the opposing passes, Lady Jaye's least favourite of the demonstrations, they headed toward each other appearing to be on a collision course. Jaye sat rigidly, her whole body tense as she waited for Ace's signal. They held their jets steady, knuckles white on the control sticks.

"Now!" he screamed.

The crew aboard the Flagg gave a collective gasp as they pulled away at the last minute.

After the completion of the dreaded opposing passes, Lady Jaye relaxed slightly for the first time during the flight and began to enjoy herself. As they were moving at nearly mach 1, there was no room for mistakes. They had to be perfect. Revelling in the thrill of speed, she moved into position beside Ace for next part. She mirrored every move as they went through the flight demonstrations. They veered to the right, they veered to the left, their wings nearly touching as they rose and dipped in the blue sky. They performed back to back formations, belly to belly and wing tip to wing tip flights. They demonstrated a few more high performance capabilities then returned to the Flagg, landing smoothly to the ecstatic applause of the onlookers.

Jaye was hugging Ace and laughing when the Admiral arrived on the tarmac. "Excellent demonstration," he spoke gruffly. "I am not easily impressed." his gaze lingered thoughtfully on Lady Jaye a moment. "I look forward to you both teaching us as much as we teach you," he acknowledged.

Pure and clear relief washed over her. She revelled in it. "They had done it!" "No…," she mentally corrected pushing aside all remaining doubt, "she had done it!" She wanted to do a little victory dance right there in the middle of everyone but instead just smiled sweetly, "Thank you, sir, from both of us."

Much to Ace's amusement, the stiff Admiral smiled in return.

Later that night, in the mess on board the Flagg, Ace and Lady Jaye were surrounded by the flight crew, talking excitedly.

"That was some flying." One of the crew began.

"I could have sworn your wings actually touched on the wing tip to wing tip demo." another added in awe.

"Boy, would I like to know how you pulled out of that opposing pass…" another sighed enviously.

"You Joes are something else!"

Jaye laughed, shaking her head in amusement. "That was nothing. You should see Ace in a dogfight with Cobra!"

"Yeah, I bet that would be something to see…" another grinned.

"What about you? I bet you'd be good in a dogfight, too." a dark haired pilot asked as he slid closer to Lady Jaye.

"Um, yeah, I guess so." she blushed.

"Jaye can hold her own against Cobra." Ace laughed at her discomfort. "Remember that time you had to take over for me…"

"Yeah…because you had your helmet fused to your head…" Jaye laughed.

"You nearly crashed the plane.." he countered.

"You used up all the ammunition and let Wild Weasel go.." she laughed in exasperation.

They all spent the evening talking easily as they tried to one up each other with stories. Jaye relaxed and enjoyed the mild teasing between the pilots, putting in her own fair share of jabs. Ace, gazing at her face, smiling knowingly. He noted her eyes lit up with happiness, her laughter clear and easy.


	5. Chapter 5

On the last morning of the training, the entire flight crew was called onto the tarmac for formation. They stood rigidly at attention, eyes forward and shoulders back. Lady Jaye and Ace, as guests, stood at attention next to the Admiral. A lone helicopter was approaching the Flagg. As it neared, they were able to identify it as a GI Joe Tomahawk. Jaye caught Ace's eyes and raised an eyebrow in question. They waited until the helicopter landed.

Lady Jaye gasped softly in surprise as the two people she least expected stepped out. Her face lit up in a wide smile.

"General Hawk, Warrant Officer Fairborn." the Admiral strode forward. "Good to see you both. Welcome to the Flagg."

"Good to see you too, Admiral," General Hawk smiled. His eyes flickered to Ace and Lady Jaye.

"I see you are treating my men well." he teased, turning to Ace and Jaye who snapped to attention.

"At ease." his eyes twinkled at them. "I am looking forward to hearing the reports of your experiences aboard the Flagg." he chuckled, turning. "Admiral."

"Fight crew…Dismissed."

"Feel free to look around." The Admiral addressed Flint. He then turned his attention meaningfully to the two Joe pilots, "I am sure Ace or Lady Jaye can give you the tour. Bring him by my office when you finish." he nodded his dismissal. "General, come with me." He led Hawk to his office for a private conversation.

"Ace, Lady Jaye, How's it going?" Flint greeted them smiling, his eyes lingering briefly on Lady Jaye.

"Great! Man, you wouldn't believe the kind of stuff we've been doing," Ace grinned. "We're having a ball out here."

"Hey Ace, you coming?"

Ace turned and waved to a small group of guys on the edge of the runway. "Yeah, I'm coming! Keep your shirts on."

Ace looked from Jaye to Flint apologetically. "I'm sorry I can't stay…I have a game…I mean I have some guys I need to meet." he grinned and excused himself.

"Some things never change, I see." Flint spoke as he moved closer to Jaye. "I missed you." he smiled, brushing his hand across hers.

"I missed you too," she smiled brightly. "This certainly is a glad surprise," she spoke easily. "What are you doing here? We weren't expecting you. Not that I'm not happy you're here, of course!"

"It seems that tonight the Admiral is having a banquet for all the pilots. He invited Hawk and I to attend and of course we couldn't refuse," he chuckled.

"A Banquet", she froze, "He hasn't mentioned anything to us about a banquet."

"I know. It was a surprise to us, too. He didn't put it it on the original request."

"But, I have nothing to wear." she admitted. Somehow thoughts of Cinderella came to mind.

"Don't worry, Hawk had me bring your dress uniforms."

"So, you must be my fairy Godmother," she laughed. This Cinderella thing was getting ridiculous.

"What?"

"Never mind," she smiled. "Did you bring my shoes, too?" she asked anxiously.

"Sorry, no glass slippers," he teased, "but I had Scarlett pack a bag for you. I figured she would know what you needed. Let me grab it; It's still on the Tomahawk. Walk me over?" he asked.

She watched as he reached into the Tomahawk briefly before handing her a green bag and the uniform still on the hanger, pressed and clean.

"Thanks. I guess I better take these back to my room. Come along, I will give you the nickel tour," she grinned.

She showed him the mess, the showers and the officer's quarters, stopping in front of her door.

"This is my quarters. Give me a minute. I just want to hang this up."

He stood awkwardly in the small living room as she disappeared into the bedroom.

She placed the bag on her bed and hung her dress uniform in the closet. Taking a quick glance in the mirror, she smoothed her hair with her hands, then reemerged. She smiled as she walked over to Flint and took his hand, squeezing it gently. He grabbed her other hand, then pulled her into his arms kissing her softly. They stood there quietly, enjoying the stolen moment. She had missed him so much. "Time to finish the tour," Lady Jaye said gently, breaking the spell. "Then, I have to take you to the Admirals' office. I am sure they are waiting for you."

"Lead on, then."

"Admiral Ledger?" Jaye called as she knocked on his door.

"Come in."

"I've brought Warrant Officer Fairborn, Sir." She announced as she snapped to attention and saluted.

"Thank You," the Admiral saluted back casually as Hawk snorted into his coffee.

Lady Jaye shot him a glare which just made him laugh harder.

"What's wrong, Clayton?" the Admiral frowned, looking from the general to Lady Jaye.

"It's just, I have never seen Lady Jaye so formal…," he laughed again, eyes twinkling.

She looked quickly from Flint to the General in disbelief. The both grinned openly at her.

The Admiral turned to Lady Jaye. "Thank you. You may go now." She spun on her heels in anger and hurried out the door. The Admiral choked in surprise as she began swearing in Gaelic under her breath.

"Is she always like that?" he asked.

"Yes." Hawk and Flint answered at the same time.

"Are all your women like that?"

"Pretty much." Hawk chuckled while Flint nodded in agreement.

"Must make life interesting…"Admiral Ledger mused.

"Oh, most definitely." Hawk grinned.


	6. Chapter 6

Admiral Ledger sat at the head of the banquet table. General Hawk and Flint were seated on either side. The Admiral's flight crew of eight men, plus Ace and Lady Jaye, filled in the sides. Plates were filled with roast beef, potatoes and daintily cut green beans. The food was delicious. Conversation was light and varied around the table. Halfway through the meal, servers came around the table, pouring ruby wine into each glass. Conversation slowed to a stop. As the last wine was poured, all eyes turned expectantly toward the Admiral, cutting a commanding figure in his dress uniform, as he stood to offer the toast.

"Men," he began," and Lady" he glanced at Lady Jaye. "I want toast you on another successful Training. You have all exceeded my expectations." Polite clapping filled the room.

"I especially want to thank General Hawk and Warrant Officer Fairborn for their part in recommending certain GI Joe pilots." he paused, "This is the first year we have had both the pilots of GI Joe and the Flagg participate in the training. I have to say, I am well pleased with the success of the venture. I have been duly impressed by both Joe pilots," he turned to Lady Jaye and smiled. "I only hope the Joes have learned and been impressed by as much as we have."

He lifted his glass high. "To future ventures," his voice rumbled, and they drank.

(The last morning)

"So," Flint whispered as he stood beside her watching their bags being loaded onto the Tomahawk, "What do you think about the Admiral, now?"

He watched as the corners of her lips lifted into a smile.

"I told you you'd be great." he elbowed her softly.

The Admiral approached slowly with General Hawk. They were deep in conversation, Hawk chuckling at whatever the Admiral was saying, oblivious to the people and activity around them.

Flint, taking advantage of their distraction, turned to Lady Jaye and whispered again, "We're both off duty for the night. How would you like to go out somewhere for dinner after we get back?"

"You mean, like a real date?" her eyes lit up with excitement.

"Uh, yeah…,"he adjusted his beret nervously, grinning his famous lopsided grin, "So…?"

"Definitely…" she grinned. "Can I wear something nice?"

"Definitely." he reached over and squeezed her hand. A smile spread slowly over her face.


End file.
